Forever Young
by Don'tstopDANCING
Summary: What if Damon met Elena first? It would be an epic romance, right? There's only one problem, Elena's only five. While Damon's there, something goes wrong which causes Elena to accidently turn into a half vampire. What will happen when Klaus hears of this?
1. Coming Home

**AN: Hey guys, I found this fic on my laptop, I wrote it about a year ago and completely forgot about it so I've decided to finally upload it :)**

**Summary: What if Damon met Elena first? It would be an epic romance, right? There's only one problem, Elena's only five. While Damon's there, something goes wrong which causes Elena to accidently turn into a half vampire. What will happen when Klaus hears of this?**

**Ok, to be clear, Elena's parents are already dead and she's an only child. Also, Katherine is dead; she died like she was supposed to in 1864.**

**Also, sorry if there are any grammar mistakes that I didn't catch, I don't have a Beta yet.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. No copyright infringement intended.**

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><p><em>I'm coming home<br>I'm coming home  
>Tell the World I'm coming home<br>Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday  
>I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes<br>I'm coming home, I'm coming home  
>Tell the World that I'm coming<em>

_Coming Home-Diddy_

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><p>He was finally doing it. Damon was finally returning to Mystic Falls-his home town that he hasn't been back to since he was turned in 1864.<p>

Sure, he had tried multiple times over the years to come back, but each time he was struck with an overwhelming feeling of betrayal and pain. Pain over losing Katherine and betrayal for his brother telling his Father that Katherine was a vampire. How Stefan had repeatedly been with Katherine behind his back.

Damon scowled bitterly. He hadn't seen Stefan in over a hundred years, yet he still plagued his mind.

Now, as he drove to the old Salvatore boarding house, he couldn't help but to let all of the pain and sadness revolving around Katherine's death to consume him.

Memories from was seemed like a lifetime ago washed over him, successfully clearing his thoughts of anything but.

He sat in the boarding house driveway for a few moments, wallowing in his self-pity before finally pulling himself together and marching into the house.

The house still belonged to him so he didn't have to worry about needing an invite to get in. As Damon walked into what he assumed was the living room, his vampire senses immediately picked up the soft tone of whispering.

Two humans sat on one of the sofas, quietly conversing with each other in front of the roaring fireplace. He automatically could tell that the male was Zach, his great-times something- nephew.

The young woman that Zach was talking to had strawberry blonde hair that fell past her shoulders in loose waves. Her grayish-green eyes where wide with concern as she conversed with Zach. He heard his nephew call her Jenna. Jenna Sommers.

He had already called Zach in advance, announcing to him his arrival in Mystic Falls and his plan to stay at his family's boarding house. But, as he watched the two, it was obviously apparent that he had forgotten.

They were completely ignorant to the fact that he stood just a few feet in front of them.

As Zach and Jenna took a small break in their conversation and Damon took the opportunity to waltz into the room. The human's heads whipped around to ace him at his sudden intrusion into the room.

"Hello…._Uncle_." Damon scrutinized him with a smug expression as a frown etched itself onto Zach's face. Jenna sat quietly; her eyes alight with curiosity as she stared at him with something close to an acute interest.

"Damon…you've made it." Zach replied warily, forcing a smile and sparing a quick glance at the strawberry blonde.

"I hope I haven't interrupted anything important, but who might this lovely lady be?" He shot a seductive smile in her direction and smirked slightly as she flushed crimson.

Zach fidgeted, feeling slightly uncomfortable in the vampire's presence. "This is Jenna, an old friend of mine. She just came to sort some stuff out with me before she goes on a business trip."

Jenna smiled and gave Damon a small nod of hello.

"Yes, Zach has agreed to watch my niece while I go to Los Angeles on business for a few weeks." She tucked a fly away piece of hair behind her ear before abruptly standing up. Damon turned and glared at his nephew as she said this and Zach flinched.

"Well, I best be going or else I'll miss my flight," Jenna said, checking her watch and picking up her purse. "Elena!" She called. "Come say goodbye!"

Damon stiffened as he heard the soft pitter patter of tiny feet and turned around only to see a small dark-haired girl hurl herself into Jenna's awaiting arms.

The child looked to be about four or five, with her dark chocolate hair pulled up into pigtails with little pink bows. She was very tiny and was the picture of innocence, with her big brown doe eyes and a teddy bear clutched tightly in her small hands.

"Bye, bye Aunty Jenna!" She exclaimed in little girl talk, planting a sloppy kiss on Jenna's cheek. The elder of the two girls smiled and then placed the little girl on the sofa.

"Now, you be good, Elena, and listen to Mr. Zach and Damon, ok?" Jenna said her goodbyes and Damon, being the charming gentleman that he was, helped her with her suitcases while Elena ran off.

But as he went back inside the parlor of the boarding house, he something sensed something was wrong. Something was moving out of the corner of his eye.

In a flash, he had Zach's neck snapped and the stake that he had been holding was now halfway across the room.

"You just couldn't resist, could you?" Damon murmured to himself as he quickly disposed of Zach's body before speeding back to the boarding house.

He was just settling onto the couch with a glass of bourbon when a small voice interrupted him.

"Hello?"

Damon mentally cursed. He had forgotten about the child! He couldn't kill her; no matter how heartless he was he would never hurt a child. So now he was stuck taking care of her until Jenna got back. He really hadn't thought the whole 'killing Zach' thing through.

He turned around and saw the small brown-eyed girl peering at him from behind the entry way. Her bear was clutched tightly to her chest with one hand and she was sucking on her thumb with the other.

"Where's Mr. Zach?" She inquired quietly in her high-pitched baby voice, before stumbling her way over to the couch where Damon sat.

Damon stared at the bashful child with wide-eyes before answering her. "Zach, um, had to go away for a while, ok?" He lied. _A long while,_ he added mentally.

"Kay!" Elena said, bobbing her head. She stared at him for a few seconds, biting her lips, before she spoke again.

"Can I sit next to you?" She asked, her eyes growing wide as her lower lip jutted out in a small pout. Damon sighed, all he wanted to do was relax and have nice drink to congratulate himself for finally coming back to Mystic Falls.

But, before he knew what he was doing, he heard himself say yes.

He watched Elena's eyes light up and a big smile spread across her face. He turned away for a moment to scoot over and when he looked back at Elena he almost grinned.

She was trying to heave herself up onto the couch but it was too tall for her. Amused, he reached over and picked her up, placing her next to him on the couch.

"Where are your parents?" He asked the girl, maybe they could look after her until Jenna got back. Damon watched as Elena squirmed her way onto his lap.

"Aunty Jenna says that Mommy and Daddy went away to heaven. Daddy and Mommy left when I was only this big!" She threw out her short arms to indicate how small she had been.

Damon, on the other hand, was looking at her with something close to sympathy. He knew what it was like to lose a parent young, his Mother had died when he was only five. At least he remembered his parents.

From what Elena said, it seemed as if she was only a baby when her parents passed.

He looked back down to the little girl on his lap, who was now staring up at him with wide eyes.

"Where are your Mommy and Daddy?" She inquired innocently, reaching out to grab her teddy bear.

"They went away to heaven, too." He answered softly, and surprised himself by pulling Elena in closer, hugging her to his chest.

"Maybe they know each other there!" She exclaimed, pulling away from him only to start jumping around on the couch.

Her childish giggles filled the room, and he felt himself smiling at the sight of the small girl laughing.

That's what scared him; Damon hadn't genuinely smiled since Katherine had died. And the worst part was that he had only known Elena for a short while and she was already bringing out the human side in him.

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><p>After spending one more hour with Elena down in the parlor, she finally fell asleep. She was curled up on the couch, her teddy bear nestled to her chest and her thumb stuck in her mouth.<p>

Damon gently lifted her up, placing her on his hip before blurring up the stairs and into the guest bedroom that he assumed she was staying in. He deposited Elena on the bed, tucking her under the covers.

He stared at her for a few minutes, trying to figure out how in just a few short hours, she had already wormed her way into his heart. He was Damon fucking Salvatore, bad-ass vampire extraordinaire who cared for nothing and no one, especially not petulant children.

But, as he gazed at Elena with her soft brown ringlets splayed out on the pillow like a halo, he couldn't help but to be somewhat thankful.

Because of her, he could feel himself finally getting over Katherine's death and his baby brother's betrayal.

Damon glanced at her one last time before turning around to leave so she could sleep in peace.

He was almost out the door when a small voice interrupted him.

"Damon?" He looked back to see Elena staring up at him sleepily.

"Yes, Elena?"

The little girl let out a yawn before continuing. "Nighty night." She said, smiling at him softly.

A tentative grin worked its way onto his face. Damon watched as her eyelids grew heavy and started drooping.

"Good night, Elena." He crept out of the room and closed the door softly. As he walked down the hall, Damon knew that if the whole 'feeling-human' thing kept up, then it would be a very long month. A very long month, indeed.

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><p><strong>An:So... should I continue this or not? I'd love to hear your thoughts:)<strong>

**REVIEW! but no flames please:)**

**~Ever**


	2. Safe and Sound

**An: Wow! Thanks to all who favorited and reviewed! **

**A special thanks to fetchcrew, LiveBreatheVampires, san01, scarlett2112, Dhalia89, and The Next LJ Smith for reviewing! You guys are great:)**

**Anyways, on with chapter two!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. No copyright infringement intended. **

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><p><em>I remember tears streaming down your face<br>When I said, I'll never let you go  
>When all those shadows almost killed your light<br>I remember you said, Don't leave me here alone  
>But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight<em>

_Just close your eyes_  
><em>The sun is going down<em>  
><em>You'll be alright<em>  
><em>No one can hurt you now<em>  
><em>Come morning light<em>  
><em>You and I'll be safe and sound<em>

_Safe and Sound – Taylor Swift_

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><p>Damon woke up the next morning to the sun beating down on his bare chest through the window. Something warm and tiny was pressed up against his side and he looked down to see Elena staring at him with bright eyes.<p>

"Wakey Wakey!" She exclaimed, giggling at the sight of his messy hair and sleepy expression. "Time to wake up!"

Damon groaned and pushed himself up into a sitting position, raking a hand through his raven locks.

He swiveled around to face the child next to him. The one that he had grown so attached to in the past day. He smiled softly at her, taking in her messy curls and her Little Mermaid nightgown.

"Come on," He beckoned, sliding off his bed, "Let's go downstairs."

"Okay! Can you make me pancakes? She pleaded, crawling closer and raising her arms at him in an 'up' gesture.

He raised an eyebrow at but picked her up anyways, placing her on his hip like you would a small toddler. Elena wrapped one skinny arm around his neck and used the other to stick her thumb in her mouth.

"Of course I can." He sped down to the kitchen using his vampire speed and placed Elena at the table.

Once she was situated with a huge helping of chocolate chip pancakes, he ventured towards the parlor, fully intending to pour himself a hearty glass of bourbon.

Just as he had gotten the bottle out of his liquor cabinet, a knock on the door interrupted him. Damon growled under his breath, silently cursing whoever was preventing him from having a drink.

He set the bourbon down and sped over to the door where Elena was standing on her tippy-toes trying to reach the doorknob.

He smiled at the sight. "Let me get that for you, Ma'am." He said, tipping an imaginary top hat. Elena giggled and grabbed his hand, giving him a small curtsy.

As soon as the door was fully open, he was knocked back a few steps by a blur of blonde, forcing Elena's hand out of his.

"Damon!"

"Caroline?" He exclaimed in shock. The blonde vampire grinned at him.

"Not only me." She said and gestured towards the doorway where a dark-skinned girl with curly hair was watching them.

"Witchy." Damon acknowledged her with nod. Bonnie rolled his eyes at him.

"Nice to see you, too." The Bennett witch replied, walking inside to where Carline stood.

"Hey who's that?" Caroline asked, pointing to the little girl that was peering at them behind Damon's leg. "She's adorable!" She exclaimed, jumping up and down while trying to get a closer look at her.

At this, Elena jerked back sharply in surprise, tripping over her feet in the process and landing on her butt.

"Oh!" She squeaked, tears rushing to her eyes. Damon immediately picked her up, stroking her hair to calm her.

Meanwhile, Caroline and Bonnie where staring at him in shock. They had never seen Damon act so caring towards another person, much less a child. When Elena finally calmed down, he turned to face the two teenagers.

"Caroline, Bonnie, this is Elena. Elena, these are my friends Bonnie and Caroline."

"Aw…." Caroline cooed, "Damon I never knew you were such a softie!" Damon glared at her and walked into the parlor, his two friends following. He took a seat on the armchair, Elena resting on his lap.

Elena, who had her face pressed into Damon's chest, glanced up at them curiously, thumb stuck in her mouth.

"Hello." Her bell like voice rang out softly. Bonnie, who still hadn't said much, gasped as she got a view of Elena's face, "Damon! That child, she's the doppelganger!"

The two vampires looked at her blankly. Damon stepped closer to Bonnie, "Um, Bonnie? You're gonna have to explain what that means."

"The doppelganger is needed to break the curse placed one of the Originals, Niklaus. The curse was made to bind the werewolf side of him. If the curse is broken, Klaus will become a hybrid, which we can't let happen."

Caroline and Damon exchanged looks. "So, what you're saying is… Elena needs to die in order for this Klaus guy to break some freaky curse put on him?" The blonde asked. Bonnie nodded.

"No..." Damon murmured, subconsciously pulling the child on his lap closer. "Wait, you said doppelganger…who is she the doppelganger of?" Bonnie looked at him with sad eyes, before answering his question.

"She's the doppelganger of Katerina Petrova…also known as Katherine Pierce." Damon stiffened, his eyes growing wide in shock, before glancing at Elena. He didn't know how he hadn't realized it sooner.

Same dark hair, same chocolate eyes, same smooth olive skin. The five year old on his lap would grow up to be an exact carbon-copy of his dead ex-lover.

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><p>Later that day, Damon was in parlor with an empty liquor bottle on the table next to him. He scrubbed a hand across his face in frustration, his aquamarine eyes glinting dangerously.<p>

Elena was up in her room playing dolls, Bonnie and Caroline having left a few minutes prior.

Before Bonnie had left, she had told him that Klaus was probably close to finding Elena and would probably be in Mystic Falls before the next full moon.

He growled and threw his glass at fireplace, watching as it smashed into pieces, much like his heart was going to do unless he found a way to save Elena.

"Damon?" He glanced over and saw Elena. She had changed out of her princess pajamas and into a light pink and white polka-dotted dress.

Her dark hair was down, tumbling over her shoulders towards her waist while a matching headband and bow kept her curls from blocking her line of sight.

Like always, she was sucking her thumb and instead of her teddy, a worn pink blanket was clutched in her hand, trailing on the ground behind her.

Elena moved closer to him, reaching up and grabbing his hand with hers.

"Are you okay?" She questioned, and he had to admit, she was pretty observant for a five year old. She seemed to always know when something was wrong with him.

Damon then noticed that she was fiddling with something around her neck, the necklace that she had been wearing the whole time she was here.

Leaning in closer, he saw it was a simple silver chain with a lapis lazuli charm on the end. He reached towards Elena and gently grabbed it.

"Where did you get this necklace?" He asked, crouching down so that he was eye level with her.

"It's my mommy's." She replied, staring him in the eyes. Damon frowned at that. Why would her mother have a Lapis Lazuli necklace? He was tempted to ask her more, but instead he shook that idea out of his head. He needed to be focused on the doppelganger situation.

There was only one problem. He had no idea how he was going to keep Elena safe. So he made a split second decision and pulled out his phone, calling a number he had never called before. It was time to call in reinforcements. It was time to call Stefan.

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><p><strong>An: Hope you liked it!<strong>

**Don't forget to review! The more reviews I get the more motivated I am to write faster!**

**There's a picture of Elena's necklace on my profile:)**

**~Ever**


	3. Wheel Breaks the Butterfly

**A/N: Oh my gosh, thank you everyone who reviewed and/or favorited! It means a lot to me!**

**Sorry for the long wait! I've had midterms along with high school assessment this month and I haven't had any time to update! This chapter is mostly just some cute fluff, though. **

**Okay so let me just rant a little bit here. I HATE REBEKAH… SOSOSOSOSOSO MUCH! I WISH SHE WOULD GO DIE IN A HOLE! **

**I've heard rumors the love triangle was going to come to a head this season:( Let's hope for a DEndgame! **

**~(*SPOILER*)~: But anyways, have you seen the promo for the next episode? Damon, Rebekah, and Sage were in bed together! I KNEW SAGE WAS A LESBIAN! ;D **

**Anyways, on to the chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. No copyright infringement intended. **

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><p><em>When she was just a girl <em>

_She expected the world _

_But it flew away from her reach _

_And the bullets catch in her teeth_  
><em>Life goes on<em>

_ It gets so heavy_

_ The wheel breaks the butterfly_

_ Every tear, a waterfall_

_In the night, the stormy night_

_ She closed her eyes_

_ In the night, the stormy night _

_Away she'd fly_

_Paradise - Coldplay_

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><p>The next day, Damon sat in the boarding house kitchen, nursing a tall glass of his favorite whiskey.<p>

Elena was seated on the floor, playing with an assortment of dolls that Jenna had left her. A pink sippy cup of milk was perched precariously on her tiny lap.

He smiled as he listened to her softly sing to herself, her high-pitched baby voice ringing throughout the room.

Damon tapped his foot impatiently. His brother was due to arrive any minute now and he was starting to get antsy at the thought of seeing him again.

Suddenly, the vampire jerked at the sound of loud knocking, successfully bringing him out of his inner ramblings. Damon stood up abruptly, his chair clanking noisily against the cold linoleum floors.

Elena raised her head at the boisterous sound, climbing up from her spot on the ground. She gazed at Damon, her big doe eyes muddled with confusion and worry.

"You okays, Damy?" Damon laughed nervously and smiled tenderly at the nickname.

"Of course I am, princess," He answered meekly, reaching down to pick her up. "Now come on, up we go." He murmured in her ear. Damon raced over to the front door with his enhanced speed, cradling Elena's head to his chest protectively.

The little girl sighed in satisfaction, sticking her thumb in her mouth; something that he noticed she did a lot. Apprehensively, he heaved the door open with his one unoccupied hand. His baby bro stood on the front stoop, staring expressionlessly at his feet. Damon rolled his eyes. _Always a brooder, that Stefan_. He thought.

"Damon!" Stefan exclaimed, "What…" He trailed off when he saw Elena, his eyes growing wide as he took in the sight of the toddler. Damon bit his lip in uneasiness.

"Uhm, brother, this is Elena…Katherine's doppelganger. Elena this is my brother, Stefan." Damon introduced weakly, shifting Elena so that she faced Stefan.

The five year old peered at his younger sibling curiously as the green-eyed vampire sucked in a startled breath.

"Damon…" He said chidingly, glaring at him. Damon glowered right back, half expecting him to start to waggling his finger like a mother scolding a child.

"In my defense, little brother, I'm just playing babysitter. I didn't even know she was the doppelganger until witchy told me so."

Stefan scowled, "Fine, we will talk about this later."

Elena, who had been mostly silent through the duration of the exchange, chose that moment to speak up.

"Damy, what's a…..dwoppel…dopp…dwoppelgwanger?" She asked cutely, her tiny nose scrunched up in concentration as she tried to pronounce the unfamiliar word.

"Nothing you need to worry about, sweetheart."

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><p><em><strong>Later<strong>_

Stefan stopped outside of his older brothers room, his hand poised hesitantly on the brass door knob. He wanted to go in there and learn more about the little girl...

But at the same time, he was afraid of what he might figure out from asking. Ugh, he was too conflicted for his own good. Finally, he worked up enough courage and pushed open the heavy wooden door, pausing slightly to take in the scene in front of him.

Damon lat sprawled on his massive bed, wearing nothing more then a pair of black pyjama pants. A sleeping Elena lay completely on top of him, curled up on Damon's bare chest with her face nuzzled in his neck.

She was wearing an oversized princess tee shirt along with baby pink flowered cotton underwear. Her thumb was stuck in her mouth and a bear was cluthed tightly in her small fists. She was the picture of innocence.

"Don't be shy, brother." Stefan snapped to attention and saw Damon staring at him, a small smirk playing on his lips. When Stefan still didn't move, the blue eyed vamire guestered to the empty spot next to him on the bed.

Stefan stared at him for a second before blurring over to the satin draped black sheets, dropping unceremoniously onto his brother's pillows.

At the sudden movement, the toddler stirred, her chocolate eyes fluttering open.

"Damy?" She yawned, her nose crinkling adorably.

"Im right here, princess." Damon replied, picking her up off his chest and placing her between them.

"Hwi, Stefan!" She said, her voice slurred with sleep as she cuddled up with both of them.

Stefan smiled, gently tickling her stomach and smiled as she giggled uncontrollably, her chubby cheeks flushing pink.

Both brothers exchanged looks. They knew that with Elena being the doppelganger, many life-threatening problems would arise to them.

But now, as they gazed at the little girl nodding off between them, they knew what they had to do.

And they didn't care what the price was. They had to protect Elena at all costs.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the short chapter! I was going to write more but I wanted to give at least something today. I was going to update yesterday but something was wrong with fanfiction where they were deleting everything I upoaded onto doc manager. :(**

**REMEMBER: reviews are love! They only take a few seconds and they motivate me to update quicker! And feel free to suggest any ideas that you might have, I'd love to hear them!**

**Until next time lovelies! **

**~Ever**

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